Town hall bosses indulged in dinners at top restaurants and bought expensive gifts such as Tiffany jewellery and iPads.

The details of the use of public money come as 170,000 jobs are slashed by councils trying to cut costs by 30 per cent.

Opulent: Town hall fat cats dined out at the Four Seasons hotel in New York, left. Eric Pickles, right, admitted councils 'had been enjoying the high life'

A Freedom of Information request revealed the details of credit card spending at 188 councils across Britain – totalling more than £40million. This would suggest spending of about £100million across all UK local authorities.

The councils spent £2million on hotel bills, including stays at the Four Seasons in New York, the five-star Pan Pacific in Singapore and the Athens Hilton. Staff feasted at Claridges – one of London’s most expensive hotels – and enjoyed hog roasts and champagne receptions.

They spent £500,000 on gifts such as Tiffany jewellery, Gucci products and silk ties. Online shopping sprees racked up bills of more than £300,000 at Argos and £150,000 at Amazon. One authority even bought llamas on its credit card.

The councils, which provided the documents under FOI laws to the Daily Telegraph, released information disclosing only expenditure over £500.

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This means tens of millions of pounds more could have been spent on lower value items. It is not clear whether rules or laws have been broken or whether public money can be reclaimed, because each council has its own guidelines on credit cards.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said the spending was wild. ‘It appears that for years, some councils have been enjoying the high life paid for by you and me,’ he said.

‘Now that we are forcing councils to release details of their expenditure, the culture of wild overspends and excess which became the norm under Labour will hopefully become a thing of the past.’

Horsham Council in West Sussex spent £1,150 on two llamas to graze on communal land alongside a small flock of sheep.

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£100m... The bill to you for town hall chiefs' five-star credit card accounts